Portable gas fires and bottled gas.

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I purchased a portable gas fire from machine mart.
The instructions state a 15 kg butane or propane gas bottle.
Now flo gas and calor have cut back on producing this size bottle so I asked M/M if I could use an 11 kg butane bottle instead?
They sent a standard reply saying NO.
Now apart from having to change the pressure control regulator to a screw in type I can see no reason why all these different sizes bottles of gas arent interchangeable except for the cost aspect and consumption times.
Is it me getting old or have health and safety taken over?

Are all gas bottles interchangeable fitted with the correct pressure control?
Any gas certified folk out there?
Thanks
Mike
 
ChaiLatte said:
What you say above contradicts Calor's website:

https://www.calor.co.uk/cylinder-range-faq
Click to expand...
Yes it does.


President Clinton also went on the tv to say he had never had sex with Monica Lewinskey.

Saying one thing by Calor and trying to purchase one are two different issues.

Regardless
Do you have any constructive comment on my questions...?
Screenshot_20230505_154318_DuckDuckGo.jpg
 
Last edited:
If you mean the Clarke MGH1 Mobile Gas Heater then the instructions specifically state butane only.
It's a long time since I worked in the LPG industry.
So yes you can run your cabinet heater on a different size butane cylinder as long as the regulator is correct for the valve.
Whether it is advisable is a different matter.
 
After much searching I have found an explanation to my question.

20230506_081536.jpg
 
You could use patio gas get yourself a lightweight bottle and your back will thank you!!
 
Amateur said:
I purchased a portable gas fire from machine mart.
The instructions state a 15 kg butane or propane gas bottle.
Now flo gas and calor have cut back on producing this size bottle so I asked M/M if I could use an 11 kg butane bottle instead?
They sent a standard reply saying NO.
Now apart from having to change the pressure control regulator to a screw in type I can see no reason why all these different sizes bottles of gas arent interchangeable except for the cost aspect and consumption times.
Is it me getting old or have health and safety taken over?

Are all gas bottles interchangeable fitted with the correct pressure control?
Any gas certified folk out there?
Thanks
Mike
Click to expand...
Are you purchasing a new bottle or is it an exchange? (Note you don’t actually own the bottle, rather you enter a contract which allows you to borrow one to keep your gas in).

If you need a new bottle this may help…
A couple of years ago a friend of ours couldn’t get a new bottle but suppliers were exchanging empties.
Although I think sale/transfer of the bottles is forbidden, they managed to buy an empty one secondhand which they then exchanged for a full one.
 
Long story....
Went to dealer for a new bottle and contract.
CALOR Sorry they have told us we can't supply a new bottle or cylinder charge. You must have an empty to exchange.
Tried two more. The same reply.
Went to our local dump.
Cage stuffed full of empty 15k bottles.
Sorry you can't have one they are accounted for on our system for returning.
They wouldn't budge. Been through all this before and rules are rules..right?
Rang flo gas, and yes 13 kg are certified for all internal mobile heaters like the Clarke......but no you can't have one because you need an empty one to exchange.
But there aren't any available anywhere. Ill pay the bottle charge. Sorry rules are rules.
Looked on ebay. Nothing in the local area or on any second hand sites.
Went on flo gas web page.
13kg butain available.
So I set up an account and ordered one......expecting a rebuff when I ticked the box, "no exchange bottle."
Low and behold it accepted the order.
Now the rub.
gas £43.25 inc vat.
Cylinder charge £38.50. Inc vat.

Why is life to difficult and expensive?
 
I was lucky. I bought an empty patio gas cylinder cheaply and got a refill. I then found patio gas regulators are low pressure and I wanted it for a torch, but this was back in the lock downs and there were few cylinders or even gas available so I sold it on for what it had cost me - the buyer was delighted.
 
I'd say the prices in the UK are due to are Brexit, or, "just because we can" ..
13 Kg bottle deposit here..equivalent to £25.00 inc VAT ( Propane or Butane )
Gas to go in it ..equivalent to £25.00 inc VAT ( Propane or Butane )
No "shortages" of bottles of any size.
Before the war in Ukraine , 13 Kg bottle deposit was the same.. Gas was equivalent to £20.00
 
mwinfrance said:
I'd say the prices in the UK are due to are Brexit, or, "just because we can" ..
13 Kg bottle deposit here..equivalent to £25.00 inc VAT ( Propane or Butane )
Gas to go in it ..equivalent to £25.00 inc VAT ( Propane or Butane )
No "shortages" of bottles of any size.
Before the war in Ukraine , 13 Kg bottle deposit was the same.. Gas was equivalent to £20.00
Click to expand...

Oh dear.
Another "cos" of Brexit, or rip off Britain, while the real reason is more likely the Frozen gas prices and capped power over a year ago, imposed by the French government to try and keep inflation down
No government can sustain such actions after the covid crisis with financial analysts predicting large rises in prices when the cap is lifted.

I could have maybe accepted the rest of the post, except for the fact that gas bottle supply in France is a huge industry, far bigger than the UK with multiple suppliers and strong competion.
Given the high unemployment rate in France and the new law increasing retirement age, coupled with the dreadfull attacks in Paris, and cities throught France the days of cheap anything in France may be over.
 
While we're talking about bottled gas in domestic premises, can I please suggest that no-one keep their full or parially full cylinders in their garage. It is definitely NOT a good idea.
 
Facebook marketplace, Nextdoor and Freecycle are good sources too. I managed to acquire 10 15Kg and 8 7Kg bottles last year. One old lady had 4 in her garden one of which was full and another half full - she had no idea but I insisted on paying her the full price for the gas and gave her £75 cash, I then sold the 2 empty ones for £25 :).

Someone on Freecycle offered me a full 7Kg bottle which he was about to take to the tip :oops: I gave him 2 bottles of wine as a thankyou.

I managed to keep the central heating off at home until late December and the electric heaters in my small office were off all winter. Saved a fortune, electric company wanted 86p per KWh - that would have cost £10 an hour to heat my office. The gas bottles cost me £35 a month.
 
Amateur said:
Oh dear.
Another "cos" of Brexit, or rip off Britain, while the real reason is more likely the Frozen gas prices and capped power over a year ago, imposed by the French government to try and keep inflation down
No government can sustain such actions after the covid crisis with financial analysts predicting large rises in prices when the cap is lifted.

I could have maybe accepted the rest of the post, except for the fact that gas bottle supply in France is a huge industry, far bigger than the UK with multiple suppliers and strong competion.
Given the high unemployment rate in France and the new law increasing retirement age, coupled with the dreadfull attacks in Paris, and cities throught France the days of cheap anything in France may be over.
Click to expand...
Bottle gas prices have not been frozen in France.
Life is still cheaper and better here than in the UK..and will remain so.
You just keep singing "la la lah" and enjoying whatever the daily heil tells you are the benefits of walking away from the largest market that you had.Enjoy the price of your food in the sunlit uplands, when you can actually find it on your shelves.
Given the aggressivity of your usual posts , the likes you give and your dismissive reply to ChaiLatte further up I suppose I should not have expected your reply to be anything other than your usual.
 
mwinfrance said:
Bottle gas prices have not been frozen in France.
Life is still cheaper and better here than in the UK..and will remain so.
You just keep singing "la la lah" and enjoying whatever the daily heil tells you are the benefits of walking away from the largest market that you had.Enjoy the price of your food in the sunlit uplands, when you can actually find it on your shelves.
Given the aggressivity of your usual posts , the likes you give and your dismissive reply to ChaiLatte further up I suppose I should not have expected your reply to be anything other than your usual.
Click to expand...

So the true reason for posting is out.
Another bitter quote from a remainer.
Which puzzles me, because you are happy and content where you live, or so you say,
So why stir the pot?
You would do well to look at the UK GDP figures and compare them to the rest of the EU.
They make your comments unfactual and blatently stupid.
 
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